Author: Meni Koutosimou
Psychologist – Phil to Post Graduate Mental Health Advisor
Post Graduate Degree on Psychiatry/Child Psychiatry
Doctor of Medicine at University of Ioannina
Post-Doc at University of Ioannina on Quality of Services

Translator: Vassiliki Achladioti

  • “There are no fish on land” I managed to tell him first.
  • “Just so you know, neither are there humans at the sea bottom” he replied sharply.
  • “Apart from the sea, there is also the land, but you are not aware of such stuff”, I answered back.
  • “But you, people, put so much effort on trying to keep yourselves on the surface…please tell me, what’s the point of floating if you don’t get wet?”

…and this is how our friendship began.

The truth is that I knew very well what he was talking about.

I learned how to swim when I was a child. Literally and figuratively. Along with my shoal, my teammates, but on my own as well. Not very deeply at first and then in all corners of the oceans…quietly but firmly, I was swimming and climbing the waves.

And the more I swam, the more I liked it. I didn’t care about the danger, nor about the depth. And I stayed for a long time at the bottom, so much time that the others were worried about me, but I didn’t care.

Until one day, I met the land. And I chose it. In fact, I invested in that choice. I became a model. An ideal. And if you take into account that people of this kind, who “swim” on the surface, are few, I bet that you would like to be like me.

I admit that life on the surface was passing very quickly, with crowds of people, with a lot of noise, I did not have enough time to hold much. Diplomas, job, awards, intrigue, love affairs, public relations, balances, having to prove that being on the surface makes a difference and that it is now necessary to stay out of water…that you are like the others that had their place there. Now how had they acquired it? This is another issue…something “magic”…their boats knew how to float, like they were aware of the route without even having to fight with waves on their journey.

And there comes a moment when disclosure is there waiting for you. On the rocks.

A moment, against all the choices and sacrifices that you have taken on so that you remain on the surface.

And right there you acknowledge that unfortunately on the surface, there is no bottom.

This explains why people know how to float. And along with them, their fears and their breathing.

Time has passed since then. I read that the fish living out of their water are an outlaw.

Let it be so.

I chose to be here, without forgetting that first of all, I was trained to swim.

References

Mitsou A. (2014). The exquisite woman and the fish. Kastaniotis Publications.

Dobelli R. (2014). The Art of thinking clearly. Patakis Publications.